JACAMARS. 105 



curved bill, hooked at the tip in the genus Bucco (1537-44), and thickly 

 beset with bristles. There is no aftershaft to the contour-feathers. 

 They inhabit the dense forests^ and are said to resemble Bee-eaters or 

 Flycatchers in their habits, most of the insects on which they feed being 

 captured on the wing. Very little is known of the nesting-habits, but 

 the Swallow-wing {Chelidoptera tenebrosa) (1532) is known to breed 

 in holes in banks and lay white eggs. More than forty species are 

 recognised and grouped into seven genera, and representatives of four 

 of these are exhibited in the CaSe. 



Family VI. Galbulid^. Jacamars. 



The distribution of this family, like that of the nearly allied Bucco- ^ '' *-' 

 nida, is Central and South American. In general appearance they 

 resemble the Bee-eaters. The bill is long, slender and pointed, the 

 plumage often metallic, and the contour-feathers have an aftershaft. 

 The feet are zygodactylous, and in the genus Jacamar-alcyon (1554) the 

 hind toe is absent. Their habits and mode of feeding are very similar 

 to those of the Puff-birds, but the Jacamars more often frequent the 

 outskirts of forests in the neighbourhood of streams. They nest in 

 holes in banks, and possibly in holes in stumps, and lay white eggs. 

 About twenty species are known, belonging to six genera, all of which 

 will be found represented. All belong to the subfamily Galbulince except 

 the Great Jacamar (Jacamerops grandis) (1556), which, on account of 

 its curved bill and other structural characters, is placed in a second 

 subfamily, Jacameroperince. 



Order XXIX. EURYL^MIFORMES. 



The members of this Order appear to form a connecting-link between 

 the Picarian birds and the Passeres. They resemble the latter in having 

 the palate segithognathous and in other anatomical characters, but differ 

 in having the deep plantar tendons which serve the toes united by a 

 vinculum or band, the hind toe being thus incapable of independent 

 action. Only one family is recognised. 



Family EuRYLiEMiDiE. Broad-bills. 



As their name implies, these birds are characterised by their broad 

 flat bill. They inhabit the forests of South-eastern Asia and the adjacent 

 islands, feeding mostly on insects, or, in some cases, on berries and 

 fruits, and leading a quiet inactive existence. The nest-— a large oval 

 structure, composed of grass, moss, and fibres — has an opening at the 

 side and is suspended from a thin branch. The eggs are white or 



